Santa Rosa Plateau

Santa Rosa Plateau

Daily Pilot

Distance: 81 miles one-way. Now you see it, now you don't; that's the seasonal trick of vernal pools, a fancy name for big puddles that fill with rainwater in winter and dry up in summer. Go to the Santa Rosa Plateau (near Murrieta) in spring after it rains, grab a map at the visitor center, start at the Granite Loop and wind your way along impressive oak-lined hills and grasslands that end at a wooden boardwalk along the shallow vernal pools where curlews hang out in the chilly months. Info: (951) 677-6951, www.riversidecountyparks.org/locations/nature-historic-centers/santa-rosa-plateau -- Mary Forgione

Distance: 81 miles one-way. Now you see it, now you don't; that's the seasonal trick of vernal pools, a fancy name for big puddles that fill with rainwater in winter and dry up in summer. Go to the Santa Rosa Plateau (near Murrieta) in spring after it rains, grab a map at the visitor center, start at the Granite Loop and wind your way along impressive oak-lined hills and grasslands that end at a wooden boardwalk along the shallow vernal pools where curlews hang out in the chilly months. Info: (951) 677-6951, www.riversidecountyparks.org/locations/nature-historic-centers/santa-rosa-plateau -- Mary Forgione (Daily Pilot)

Distance: 81 miles one-way. Now you see it, now you don't; that's the seasonal trick of vernal pools, a fancy name for big puddles that fill with rainwater in winter and dry up in summer. Go to the Santa Rosa Plateau (near Murrieta) in spring after it rains, grab a map at the visitor center, start at the Granite Loop and wind your way along impressive oak-lined hills and grasslands that end at a wooden boardwalk along the shallow vernal pools where curlews hang out in the chilly months. Info: (951) 677-6951, www.riversidecountyparks.org/locations/nature-historic-centers/santa-rosa-plateau -- Mary Forgione